


The World is Waking Up

by sushishin



Series: Camelove 2021: Gillventures [7]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arthur trying to think for himself, Canon Era, Episode Tag, Episode: s03e11 The Sorcerer's Shadow, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29437635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushishin/pseuds/sushishin
Summary: “Gilli,” he says, “You are welcome to a position in the castle guard, if you so desire it.”Gilli shakes his head. “Thank you, but no. I don’t like what they stand for,” he responds. Then he freezes, eyes wide, looking as if he had been knocked on the head.Gilli wins the tournament, but runs his mouth in front of the king. Predictably, Uther is not reasonable about it. Arthur is... conflicted.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Camelove 2021: Gillventures [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150928
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34
Collections: Camelove 2021





	The World is Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Camelove 2021 - Day 7: Free Day
> 
> This is my final fic for Camelove! This past week's been a blast - and definitely a challenge to write a fic every day (I am looking forward to normal amounts of sleep, actually.)
> 
> A huge, huge, thank you to the mods for organising and running this fest. They've been so on top of everything! I'd also like to thank everyone who has liked, commented, reblogged or left kudo on all the amazing creations that have come out of the fest, y'all are amazing :D

Arthur cannot work out how it happened: one moment, his father was in control of the fight, swinging fiercely and quickly at the boy, not leaving any room for a counterattack. Then Arthur must have blinked, and suddenly, impossibly, his father was on his back, swordpoint at his throat. 

Somehow, King Uther had lost a fight to a peasant boy. 

It did not make any sense, but it had happened, and so here they stand, handing the boy his prize of a hundred gold pieces while the crowd cheers wildly. _I can’t believe it._

“Congratulations.” Father grimaces in a way that was possibly supposed to be a smile, but instead looks as if he has bitten into an apple and found it rotten inside. It’s probably the face Arthur would make if someone like Merlin were to beat him. “You fought admirably,” father continues. “What is your name?”

“Gilli,” says the boy, then he coughs. “My lord.” 

Father nods. “Gilli,” he says, “You are welcome to a position in the castle guard, if you so desire it.” What a prize! A hundred gold pieces, and a position in the castle. Arthur approves: Gilli is not needlessly brutal like the other contestants; he's no knight, but perhaps with time and training, his instincts could be honed.

Gilli shakes his head. “Thank you, but no. I don’t like what they stand for,” he responds. Then he freezes, eyes wide, looking as if he had been knocked on the head.

Father just stares at him, mouth a firm line, and Arthur cringes. He can almost hear his thoughts: _this boy dares to insult Camelot? He stands against honour and duty?_ But around them, the crowd cheers for their new champion, and so nothing can be done. 

For now. 

After Gilli leaves, his father grabs Arthur’s arm. “That boy speaks of treason,” he hisses. “You will take some knights and arrest him this evening.”

 _Treason, really? He’s just a boy._ “Is this necessary? He’s just a peasant, he was likely overcome when speaking to royalty - ”

Freshly defeated, pride stung, father will not be persuaded. “He is an enemy of Camelot. You will arrest him.”

* * *

It feels wrong: Gilli has done nothing but run his mouth and insult Camelot. Well, insult Camelot… and make his father feel weak. Yet here Arthur stands, with a handful of knights, outside the boy’s door. 

He feels ill. Arthur had sent Merlin away, before dinner. He doesn’t want Merlin to know about this, and what does this say of his honour? Sir Gwynn shifts beside him, and Arthur closes his eyes for a moment - maybe if Gilli apologises, his father will be merciful - and pushes open the door. 

Gilli is not alone. 

“Arthur?”

He should have sent Merlin to muck out the stables, no matter that it was too late in the day. Instead, Merlin sputters at him in outrage, and Arthur tries not to meet his eyes. “What are you doing?”

He nods at Sir Gwynn and Sir Cadlon. “Gilli, for the crime of treason, you are under arrest.” The words stick uncomfortably in his mouth. 

“You can’t do this, Arthur, he hasn’t done anything,” insists Merlin, and oddly, of the two, he is the one whose expression screams betrayal. Gilli backs himself into a corner, hands raised, looking oddly resigned. He hasn’t even made a move towards his sword, and guilt churns in Arthur’s stomach. 

“King’s orders,” he says.

Merlin looks as if he is going to interfere, and Arthur grabs his arm. “Don’t,” he says. “I can’t - ” Would his father think Merlin, of all people, would be party to this supposed treason? Normally, Arthur would like to think not, but his father is not the most gracious of losers. Arthur might not be able to protect him, and that… that is not okay. 

Gwynn and Cadlon are almost upon Gilli before the boy speaks. “Leave me alone,” he says, and it’s strange how cool his voice is, now. The knights ignore him, when suddenly they find themselves thrown to the bed on the other side of the room. 

There’s a swirl of gold in Gilli’s eyes. _He has magic!_ He tries to draw his sword, but it sticks to his scabbard; he lets it go, and strides forward. He’s larger, he can overpower him - “Merlin! Get away from him, he’s dangerous - ” 

Merlin seems stuck to the ground, unable to move, and fear squeezes at Arthur’s throat, _how does Merlin keep getting into these situations?_

“I don’t want to hurt you,” says Gilli, but Arthur ignores him; he’s a sorcerer, and not to be trusted. Another flash of gold, and suddenly Arthur finds himself lying on top of Gilli’s bed, sheets somehow forming a rope around his ankle. He sees the other knights in the same predicament across the room; they struggle to extricate themselves from the bed. 

Gilli’s walking backwards towards the door now, bag slung over his shoulder, hands still raised. “I haven’t done anything wrong,” he says. He shares a look with Merlin, nods, and disappears out the door. 

Well, at least this explains how he won the tournament. 

* * *

If Arthur’s father was unyielding when he was defeated and insulted by Gilli, he is absolutely vicious when he is told of Gilli’s magic. 

“ _Hunt him down_ ,” he snarls, practically throwing Arthur out of the throne room. “Take as many knights as you need - ”

“I’ll take Merlin,” says Arthur, firmly. “It will be easier to sneak up on him, he won’t see us coming.” 

“Just get it done.”

* * *

Merlin’s upset with him: he’s abrupt when he speaks, and his movements when packing the bags are rough. Arthur leans back against his desk and watches him. “He said he didn’t like what Camelot’s guards stood for,” he says, because he has to make Merlin understand this. It’s important, for some reason. “It’s treason.” 

“No it’s not,” snaps Merlin. He scrunches up one of Arthur’s favourite white tunics, and shoves it deep into the saddlebag. “It’s not like he said that he wants to kill the king. Or something.”

Arthur sighs. “No, he didn’t say that. But he’s a sorcerer, Merlin - ”

“He didn’t hurt you,” Merlin interrupts, not looking up. “He could have, and he didn’t.”

“You’re very sure of that, are you?” Merlin nods; and if Arthur’s honest with himself, he knows this too. Gilli had won the tournament, after all. So why would he be merciful like that? It doesn’t make sense - surely the boy knows that he’d be chased down after he revealed himself. “What were you doing there, anyway?”

“I was congratulating him on his win,” says Merlin. 

Arthur clears his throat. “Did you know?”

“Of course I didn’t!”

“He didn’t restrain you.”

“Because I wasn’t trying to arrest him.”

“He seems so… reasonable, for a sorcerer,” says Arthur. “You know, that’s why I’m not taking any of the knights with me. I don’t think he means us any harm. I want to talk to him.”

Sometimes, Merlin looks at him with an expression just a shade too close to devotion. Arthur doesn’t deserve to inspire this feeling in Merlin, an innocent; Arthur’s done things he’s not proud of, hurt people, ruined lives - he looks away. 

“Well. We’re all packed, then!” says Merlin, suddenly much chipper. 

* * *

Gilli is almost disappointingly easy to track. _Some sorcerer he is_ , Arthur thinks incredulously, but then again, he and Merlin are on horseback. He’s huddled next to a rocky outcrop, and he jumps up when he catches sight of them. 

“Stay back!” 

“Gilli, it’s okay,” says Merlin, riding forward slowly, as Arthur hangs back. “We’re not going to arrest you.”

“Forgive me if I’m not reassured,” says Gilli. “Why did you follow me, then?”

Because Arthur cannot outright lie to his father - then again, is that not what he’ll have to do, anyway, if he plans to let Gilli go free? He brushes the thought away. “Just to talk,” he says. 

Interestingly, Gilli’s eyes slide to Merlin. After a long moment, Merlin nods, and something in Gilli eases. It makes sense that he would trust a servant over Arthur. 

Gilli turns back to Arthur. “What do you want to talk about?”

Arthur feels almost dizzy, as if he is balancing right on the edge of a parapet; his stomach clenches painfully. He takes a deep breath. 

“Magic,” he says. “I want to learn about magic.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from 'Even a Child' by Crowded House.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments are always appreciated :)


End file.
